Not Within Ten Inches
by Hana Kafuka
Summary: Gendo brings Shinji back after his 11 year abandonment to make up for lost time of being a father and to atone to Yui, who passed away in an experiment. Shinji vowed he would not let anyone close to him. Until he meets his father's "daughter" Rei Ayanami.
1. Chapter 1

_ Not Within Ten Inches_

Disclaimer: This is a work of fanmade fiction. I do not own Evangelion. It is the property of Hideki Anno, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto and the mighty animation studios Gainax and Khara.

Author's Note: This is an alternate storyline. No EVAs but Yui still dies in an experiment.

Prolouge

"I woke up and all my yesterdays were gone."

– Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse "Daddy's Gone (Ft. Nina Persson)"

Shinji Ikari hesitantly pressed the last digit of the phone number that he received along with a risqué photo of someone named Misato Katsuragi and a handwritten note from his father, Gendo Ikari that bore only a one word command: COME. Shinji had ripped it up upon receiving in anger; eleven years of hatred had built up within due to his father's abandonment of him. A gloved hand on the other end hesitated before picking up the phone.

There was the click of the phone call being received. Then there was a minute of silence.

"Father…" Shinji broke the silence. His voice faltered and trailed off. A few seconds passed by.

"It's been some time, Shinji."

"I know." He was getting irritated and impatient. Shinji knew that best; who else had felt the impact of those lonely years as they passed by?

"What do you want, Father?"

Gendo searched for the right words before answering. "I need…we need to talk. Captain Katsuragi will escort you to the graveyard where we last saw each other." He paused and then said in his idiosyncratic cold matter-of-fact tone, "You are coming to live with me."

Shinji slammed the phone back onto the receiver. Gendo knew that was coming and was glad for it; he was still a man of pride but also still stubborn. Yui used to complain about that… He laid back in his chair and swept his eyes across his office.

"Commander?" A misty voice floated out from the darkness.

"Yes, Rei. It's time to see him." Gendo rose from his chair. "Let's go."


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Thank you for reading so far and reviewing. I apologize in advance for the short chapters. I prefer to write short scenes rather than long winding chapters which I think is too tedious. I try to put as much into these scenes so it has the impact of a full chapter but it might not be very satisfying to some. I'll try to make these longer as the story goes on. Once again, thank you.

Chapter One: 'I Will Be True' (Love Song For 15 Year Reminiscence #1) / Broken Chords Can Sing A Little

"Every man has some reminiscences which he would not tell to everyone, but only to his friends. He has others which he would not reveal even to his friends, but only to himself, and that in secret." - Fyodor Dostoevsky "Notes From Underground"

- Fifteen Years Earlier -

"You're marrying _him_?" Professor Kozo Fuyutsuki exclaimed in disbelief.

It was warm day in early September of the year 1999. The fading afternoon sun shined in through the windows of Fuyutsuki's university office. Fuyutsuki fell back into his office chair, still in shock. He had met him once: Gendo Rokubungi. He was known around the university as a troublemaker but nonetheless a man of charisma and extraordinary intelligence. Unfortunately, his charisma was not the pleasant kind and attracted the wrong type of attention. Gendo had a penchant for getting into fights. The most recent one almost resulted on his expulsion from the university; Fuyutsuki and Yui Ikari appealed in his favor and saved him from that fate. It was after shortly after that they began to date. Gendo proposed two weeks ago. Yui had said yes.

Professor Fuyutsuki shook his head and peered up at his favorite student. "Yui, I don't understand it. Why him? He attracts trouble! He constantly gets into fights! Think of your reputation. What would a man like tha-"

"Sorry to interrupt, sensei but when you love someone all of that doesn't matter."

Just outside, Gendo Ikari smiled. It was something new to him. _This feeling…so this is what being loved feels like. _Yui bade her sensei a good afternoon and walked out of the room. She stopped right outside the door; she could have sworn someone was just there.

- Present Day -

Gendo Ikari stared at the white marble grave marker that bore only his wife's name and dates of birth and death. He was in a small garden that he had reserved to construct a memorial to his wife. It was only a decoration however; there was no body buried there. He bent down and laid a bouquet of lilies at the foot of the grave. A light rain began to fall.

"Father."

Gendo looked up to see Shinji standing at the entrance of the garden along with Misato Katsuragi.

"Thank you for delivering him, Captain Kasturagi. You may leave."

Misato shot a quick glance of worry toward Shinji, then bowed, went back into her car and drove away.

Gendo turned his attention back to the grave marker. "It's been three years since we've seen each other."

"And it's been eleven years since you were my father."

"You have every right to be upset, Shinji. It was cruel to abandon you like that."

Shinji was silent. He looked at the grave that bore his mother's name. He barely remembered her, how she looked and how she sounded like…it was so long ago.

"I loved your mother. More than anything in the world." Gendo spoke suddenly snapping Shinji out of his thoughts. "She was my savior. When I lost her, all the little pieces of hope I had that my life was going to turn around and that I would be finally happy just vanished."

He paused briefly and looked up at the overcast sky.

"We were young then, Shinji. And when you're young, you think you can even go against God. Things were going well and I got arrogant. I suppose this is my retribution and I'm going to carry this weight all my life. The weight of a human life that I extinguished." Gendo took off his glasses and looked his son. "I didn't deserve to be in your presence. So I left and I rebuilt the place where I last saw her and made it something beautiful." He gestured to the renovated ex-laboratory across the lake from where they were.

"This is home now."

Shinji continued to look at the grave. He turned and looked into his father's eyes. He saw no trace to the cruel, cold, monolithic figure that he detested so much but a man pathetic, worn and ragged. His eyes were red-rimmed and they were almost regretful, pleading. Gendo looked into Shinji's eyes and all he saw was his own reflection, distant and foggy.


End file.
